My internship at the YES Forum was a bit unique compared with the experience of previous interns. Before I came to Stuttgart, where the YES Forum’s Secretariat is located, I started a pre-internship at a member of the YES Forum in the Netherlands: Jongerenwerk Barkema & de Haan. For three months I dove in the – for me – unknown world of social work in the Netherlands. I familiarised myself with the core task of the members of the YES Forum; to support young people in all sorts of ways. In my period at Jongerenwerk I travelled to Stuttgart to participate with two young participants in the LearningLAB meeting, and I helped organise the final gathering of the READ project in Groningen in May.
Together with several other tasks, these experiences have helped me understand what the YES Forum means for its member organisations. This experience has also helped me to understand the target group the YES Forum works with and for, namely vulnerable young people from all over Europe. All in all, I would say that this extra ‘on the ground’ experience at a member of the YES Forum has really given me a good overview of what youth work entails and what being part of the YES Forum Network can offer to member organisations; I felt totally ready to go to Stuttgart!
My process of self-development already started before the actual internship, as it meant moving to a different country by myself. This experience alone has given me a lot of self-confidence and opportunities to step out of my comfort zone. I loved embracing the new culture – where supermarkets are apparently closed on Sundays – and exploring my new surroundings.
During my internship at the YES Forum, I could deepen my knowledge about how European institutions work and about the funding and workings of NGOs. Until now, both of these topics had always remained abstract to me, and I am thankful to have been able to learn more about them. My internship has also confirmed my beliefs that I would prefer to work in an NGO that contributes positively to society, such as the YES Forum.
I was able to support multiple international events during my internship, such as the 5-day A.M.O.R. training in September or the large, two-day Policy Event in Brussels. Talking with young people from our target group, our members, and other social and youth work professionals has taught me how important our work is. Besides supporting in the preparation and execution of these events, I have also contributed to our policy paper about the impact of digitalisation and AI on youth and social work, and our report about enhancing dialogue in diverse groups. Contributing to these publications has given me the opportunity to put my academic knowledge and writing skills into action and has given me extensive knowledge on both topics.
To conclude, my pre-internship at the YES Forum member Jongerenwerk Barkema & de Haan and my internship at the YES Forum have given me a lot. I met so many kind and interesting people from all backgrounds, ages, and nationalities, and learnt firsthand about the importance of inclusion, civic participation and youth and social work. I have also gained extensive knowledge about how NGOs operate, how EU institutions work, and about a variety of relevant topics such as digitalisation and AI and diversity in groups. However, what I value most of all is that I have learnt a lot about myself, about my future ambitions, about my capabilities, and about where I could still make improvements. I will take all of this with me in not only my professional, but also in my personal future endeavours.
Although I am very sad to leave Stuttgart and the amazing YES Forum and its Network behind, I look forward to the future with more ambition, motivation and confidence than ever!
